Page 85 of The Relationship Clause

With the gusto of a thousand convictions, I heave myself off the bed—and fall immediately back down. Nausea churns in my stomach, and my headache, which I’d almost forgotten about, pounds with renewed fervor.

I groan in agony until Junie’s sure hands land on my back. “Whoa there, cowboy. I know you’re ready to rally the troops and charge at Craig, but you should probably wait until you’re not hungover.” Her hands dig into the muscles along my shoulders and down my spine, and I swear it’s the best massage I’ve ever received, hands down. All that stuff I paid for yesterday was nothing compared to this bliss.

“Is it technically called hungover if I was never drunk?” I moan, leaning into her touch. Also, I kind of wish I was still shirtless.

“Good question. We can look it up later.”

I reach back and catch one of her hands, pulling it forward until I’m able to kiss the tops of her knuckles. She leans against my back, and I want nothing more than to pull her into my lap and kiss her, but my head is still pounding.

“So, what do you say we find you some Aspirin, get you some breakfast, and then we’ll see about coming up with a plan on how to deal with Craig and Breanna?” Junie asks.

I smile. “That sounds like an excellent plan. But, do you mind being in charge of the medicine and food? I think I might hurl if I try getting off this bed again.”

“Will do. You sit there and look pretty.” She winks and leaves the room.

“Thanks. Will you grab my phone too? I think Shane’s going to want to be a part of this discussion.”

I shut my laptop and immediately scrub my hands over my face and mouth.

“How are you feeling?” Junie asks.

“Like I ran with the bulls while wearing a Santa suit,” I mutter into my hands. Our little conversation with Shane turned into a two-hour meeting with him and our lawyers. After discussing the situation and weighing our options, I’m exhausted.

“Why didn’t I choose a job with less responsibility and lower risks?” I ask the palms of my hands. “Librarian. Why didn’t I become a librarian? I bet they never have trouble sleeping at night.”

Junie giggles. “Maybe. Until someone gets mad at you because you can’t remember the name of ‘the book with the red cover.’”

Her fingers gently tug my hands away from my face, and then she’s sitting beside me. Right beside me. Her thigh pressed against mine in a way that makes me almost forget all the stress building up inside me like a tightly coiled ball of wire.

Her gentle caress makes my pulse thrum in an entirely new rhythm. It’s exactly what I need at this moment, and, acting on impulse, I tug her closer until she’s sitting on my lap. The pressure of her body on top of mine has the same effect I imagine a weighted blanket would have. Soothing and reassuring. I gather her to my chest, burying one hand in her hair while the other rests comfortably on the curve of her waist.

“This is better,” I whisper against her ear. I feel a shiver move through her body, and knowing I can create such an effect in her does something primal to me. “I’m sorry we have to cut our trip short though.”

During our discussion, we decided it would be best if Junie and I fly back early. We’ve already booked the first flight out of here tonight, a red-eye that will get us back to South Carolina by morning. After I drop Junie off at her place, I’ll turn around and leave again, this time with Shane to meet with our lawyers. From there, we’ll quietly fire Breanna and go forward with the lawsuit we’re preparing, along with any necessary damage control.

“Don’t worry,” she murmurs back. One of her hands traces my neck down to my collar bone. Now I’m the one shivering. “I think I’m ready to be done here anyway. I skied, I spent a day at the spa, and I watched your dad get drunk again. All my boxes have been ticked.”

I smirk. “Yeah, but I feel like I’m leaving you after I promised I’d never do that.”

She shakes her head firmly. “You’re not leaving me. I know exactly why you’re going and when you’ll be back. I have zero sad feelings about this.”

“Oh, yeah? Zero sad feelings, huh? And here I was thinking maybe you enjoyed my company enough to miss me when I’m gone.”

Her fingers dig in a little, tickling instead of massaging, and I try to squirm away. We have a brief little war, but I cry uncle when my head starts to pound again.

“I will miss you when you’re gone, you know,” she says, settling against me again. “Especially since…”

I squeeze her hand. “Since what?”

“Well, I forgot to tell you before because of everything that happened at dinner, but remember how I left to take a phone call?”

I nod. I had forgotten about it, but I’m glad she brought it up again.

“It was my dad. He’s coming into town and asked if I could have lunch with him Monday. I was going to see if you wanted to come with me so you could meet him…”

“What? Junie, oh my gosh.” I hug her tighter. It’s becoming a habit. I literally can’t get enough of her. “I’m so sorry. I would have loved to meet your dad. Should I rearrange things with the lawyer?”

“No, no, no, don’t do that.” She waves her hands. “You need to take care of things for work. I wanted you to know that, well, I do want you to meet my dad. Someday. In the future.”

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